Brief Description of Ministry / Committee / Board:
Camp Ministry is designed for children and youth from third grade to seniors in high school. This ministry exposes children and youth to the great outdoors away from city life, while growing and encouraging their journey as disciples of Jesus Christ. This ministry blends Bible study enrichment with team building, swimming, archery, rock climbing, group/family dining and so much more. It also encourages young adults and older adults in growing their Bible study and journey as disciples of Jesus Christ by becoming camp counselors and deans. The camp ministry is working to develop age appropriate activities and Bible study for elementary, middle and high school students. Meal time is designed to bring all ages together for group interaction and exchanges.
2012 Accomplishments (Activities, etc.):
Activities:
♦ Developed fundraising strategies for reducing the overall cost of camp per camper. The goal is to provide all interested children and youth the opportunity to attend camp.
♦ Reached out to Holman members to help support camp financially as well as through their contributions of snacks, drinks and other supplies.
♦ Prepared Bible enrichment study and activities for camp.
♦ Trained and prepared camp counselors and deans for Bible enrichment activities and overall camp experience.
♦ Worked with Pastoral staff to coordinate planning, preparation and camp activities.
♦ Worked with camp staff to coordinate lodging, meals, extracurricular activities, emergency procedures, etc.
♦ Developed strategy to reach out to and encourage involvement of other United Methodist churches in camp experience.
Accomplishments:
♦ 99 campers attended camp; a slight increase from 2011. Approximately 67% of the campers were not members of Holman. Many of the non-Holman youth were returning campers.
♦ 22 counselors, including both of our pastors, attended camp. Five (5) of our counselors were under the age of 25.
♦ The camp had three components: (1) an elementary group consisting of 18 campers; (2) a middle school group consisting of 56 campers; and (3) a high school group consisting of 25 campers.
♦ The funds raised through the camp walk-a-thon along with a grant from the Cal-Pac United Methodist Foundation helped reduce the overall cost of camp.
2013 Goals / Plans:
♦ Grow the fundraising efforts to help more families afford the camp experience for their children/youth.
♦ Continue reaching out to other United Methodist churches and the community in order to get them more involved and engaged with our camp.
Continue growing the number of camp participants who get involved in Holman’s children and youth ministries on their return from camp.
